The Key to My Hart

Chapter 5

Author's note: I want to apologize to all of my readers. When I took about six months off writing the second book, I forgot some details. One of those details was that Hart's Jeep had been trashed by the people following her and Azrael. They had found an old 90's model black truck to replace it, but in later chapters I kept writing about the Jeep. I've gone back and edited the second book to reflect the disappearance of the Jeep. I'm sorry about that plot hole if it had any of you confused.

I rolled the window down in the backseat to allow a breeze inside the cab of the truck. Rowan, Kaito, and I were on our way to the nearest sporting goods store. Carlos, Finn, Azrael, and Ryder had been tasked with a food run.

The stench of rotting bodies drifted into the cab, and I fumbled for the button, holding my breath until the window was all the way up. Kaito chuckled from the seat in front of me. I leaned forward from the back, elbows resting on either chair.

"So... how are we going to do this? Has anyone checked out the area before?" I was bored and wanted to occupy my mind while Kaito drove.

"Other than the horde of biters that were destroyed, the sergeant, or the men under him anyways, actually did a good job of keeping this area biter free. Especially for a place as large as San Antonio. At least a few miles around the base." Rowan was studying a tourist map of the area while he spoke. "Flora said the sports shop over here should be relatively clear. The military had raided it of all the guns when the outbreak first started. It should have warm weather clothes since it was the beginning of winter when everything shut down. Not sure if we will find great rock climbing gear in this area, but it's worth a shot."

"Think they'll have steel-toed hiking boots here. Mine are almost worn out." The seams were beginning to separate.

"That will be on the list. Do you remember the sizes for Sam and Angel?" I nodded at his question. We each had other people to shop for. I had to grab clothes and gear for Sam, Angel, and myself. Kaito was in charge of Doc, Carlos, and Finn. Rowan picked Ryder, Chogan, and Azrael.

I thought we should have brought at least one other person on this supply run with us, but Rowan and Kaito were both confident the three of us would be plenty.

Kaito hit a pot hole, and I was thrown back against the seat. I chose to stay there rather than lean foreword again. The bat riddled with nails rested on the floorboard beneath me. I still struggled trying to use two so I chose to only bring one. It would be a hassle to carry around anyways.

It wasn't long before we were pulling into the parking lot. There were only two biters milling around. We'd have to take them out first, and quickly, so they didn't draw more attention. Kaito parked close to the doors, making sure the bed of the truck was facing the store. He parked and grabbed his crossbow and gestured to the biter further away.

"Okay. We will take this one out." Rowan jumped out of the truck, and I wasn't too far behind.

There was a biter on the other side of a van getting ready to walk around it. Without waiting for an order, I rounded the side it wasn't facing, leaving Rowan with the dangerous side. He banged his machete on the hood of the van, further drawing its attention to him. A rock skittered under my boot, but it was too late for it to change directions. I brought my bat upwards and swung for the knees.

There was a crunching sound as the bat made contact with bone. The biter groaned and fell. Rowan was suddenly beside it, cleaving his machete into its skull. It sunk deep. He stomped down on the neck and yanked his blade free before driving it down once more. After making sure the biter wasn't moving, we rounded the van to check on Kaito. He had already taken out his biter, retrieved his arrow, and was preparing to enter the store, only waiting for us to join him.